Jury Statement about Blue Ventures:

2011 Buckminster Fuller Challenge Winning Solution

Blue Ventures, in the shared opinion of this jury, is an exemplary model of applied innovation and
a Comprehensive, Anticipatory Design Science strategy. Its multi-scaled approach to the
interrelated challenges of biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation embodies the spirit of
the work pioneered by Buckminster Fuller.
Founded and led by Ashoka Fellow, Alisdair Harris, Blue Ventures addresses the micro influences
of subsistence fishing through education and new practices, transforming the livelihoods of some
of the poorest communities in the coastal regions of Madagascar. At the same time, the program
addresses the diverse macro influences of climate change in areas with fragile, degraded coral reef
systems, increased sea level rise and food web depletion. Within its first four years, Blue Ventures
has become one of the strongest Marine Protected Area (MPA) managed programs in the world,
spreading its innovative strategy to 25 independent fishing villages along 200 kilometers of
Madagascars coastline.
The core concept of Blue Ventures is to determine the recovery period for a subsistence fishery
that is headed toward collapse, and convincing the fishing communities to stop fishing
periodically to allow the fish population to rebound. In this way fish catches are increased on a
sustainable basis. A strong component of the program is the centrality of the empowerment of
women and the importance of addressing population issues. The Blue Ventures team sees that
family planning is inextricably linked to conservation management and seeks to enhance womens
livelihoods while also offering the family planning education critically needed to balance family
size with local resources.
Blue Ventures has been a standout in this years competition because of its successful scaling and
its rich, insightful problem solving approach. By addressing the root causes of the challenges that
these fishing villages face, Blue Ventures changes the way people interact with oceans and lays the
groundwork for long-term behavioral change. Its full range of economic development initiatives
offers each village numerous opportunities for community-owned conservation management that
take this program well beyond the typical confines of science-based marine conservation.

th

181 N 11 St | Suite 402 | Brooklyn, NY 11211 | t: 718 290 9280 | f: 718 228 7863


Marine biodiversity and climate change are critical issues - at a time when humanity is reaching a
global tipping point, we need more best practice models that introduce both micro and macro
solutions. According to Conservation International, 34 biodiversity hotspots cover 15.7 percent of
Earths land surface. Globally, half a billion people live within 100 km of reefs, the vast majority in
developing world nations with high dependence on coral reef resources for subsistence and
income. With this in mind, the success of Blue Ventures could have global impact through
replication in numerous fishing villages that are part of these biodiversity hotspots on our planet.
It offers an adaptable design template guided by a clearly defined preferred state for Marine
Protected Areas worldwide.

th

181 N 11 St | Suite 402 | Brooklyn, NY 11211 | t: 718 290 9280 | f: 718 228 7863